Lady&#39;s handbag or totebag



Jan. 29, 1957 KOEPKE LADYS HANDBAG 0R TOTEBAG Filed Feb. 7, 1956 1N VEN TOR.

LUETTA KOEPKE it d S w Patent 2,779,373 .LADYS HANDBAG on TOTEBAG Luetta L. Koepke, Worthington, Ohio Application February 7, 1956, Serial No. 564,062

3 Claims. (Cl. 150-28) My invention relates to a ladies handbag or totebag. It has to do, more particularly, with a bag of the type indicated which is provided with an outer cover and is so designed as to permit readily the removal of the cover and the substitution of another cover.

Anyone familiar with ladies fashions recognizes the desire of ladies to have their handbags or totebags match the material of the remainder of their ensemble, such as their suits, hats, etc. Many attempts have been made to provide bags with removable covers to match the rest of ladies ensembles, but these attempts have not been very successful because the covers cannot be made to fit properly and are, therefore, unsightly and are difficult to apply and remove.

It is the object of this invention to provide a handbag or totebag which is so designed that a cover can be applied thereto with ease and so that the bag will be very attractive but the cover can also be removed with ease to permit laundering or cleaning or to permit substitution of another cover.

In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated an example of a bag made according to the principles of my invention but it is to be understood that I am not limited to the exact structure shown:

In these drawings:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of the complete bag assembly according to my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view through the assembly.

Figure 3 is an exploded view of the assembly.

Figure 4 is a detail in vertical section of the locking arrangement for the parts of the assembly, showing the upper edge of the liner being snapped into the retaining groove of the body of the bag.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but showing the liner snapped into its final position in the retaining groove of the body.

With reference to the drawings, my bag assembly is shown as comprising three units consisting of the body or form 10, an outer cover 11, and an inner liner 12, as shown best in Figure 3. When assembled, the three units are securely locked together, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The bag is shown as beingsubstantially oval or elliptical in cross-section but it is to be understood that it can be of any suitable cross-sectional outline.

The body or form is preferably made of plastic or metal although it should have some flexibility. It is shown as being of slightly tapering form being smaller at its lower end. It has a closed bottom and an open top as indicated. On its upper edge it has an inwardly turned bead 13 formed entirely therearound which has a downwardly opening continuous retaining groove 14 formed at its lower side.

The cover 11 is made of cloth or other suitable material and any desired number of these covers may be provided so that one can be substituted in the assembly for another. The cover is similar in shape to the body, being complemental to the exterior surface of the body 10. The

cover is preferably stretchable and can be made slightly smaller than thebody so that it can be stretched thereover. However, the cover 11 is of substantially greater vertical extent than the body 10 so that it can be drawn inwardly around the bead 13 and downwardly into contact with the inner surface of the body 10 below the bead as shown in Figures 2, 4, and 5.

The liner 12 may also be made of plastic and is flexible to permit readily insertion into and removal from the body 10. The liner is of a form complemental to the body 10, being tapered and slightly smaller than the body so that it can be inserted therein in tight engagement therewith. When inserted in the body 10, the bottom 16 of the liner will rest on the bottom 17 of the body. The upper portion of the liner 12 is provided with vertical slits 15 extending from the upper edge thereof downwardly for about half the height of the liner. This will increase the flexibility of the upper end of the liner. The entire upper edge of the liner 12 is serrated as indicated at 18. The liner 12 is of such vertical extent that when it rests on the bottom of the body 10 the serrated edge will extend up into the retaining groove 14 if the upper edge is snapped outwardly under the bead 13 as the liner is finally positioned in the body.

In assembling the bag, the cover 11 is first slipped upwardly over the body 10. Its upper edge is turned inwardly and downwardly around the bead 13. Then the liner 12 is slipped downwardly into the body 10 and after its bottom 16 rests on the bottom 17, the upper portion of its split wall is flexed and is snapped under the bead 13 with its serrated edge 18 extending into the groove 14. It will be noted from Figure 4 that the lower edge of the bead 13 is rounded at 19 so that it will act as a cam edge to bend the serrated edge 18 of the liner 12 inwardly, as it is forced beneath the bead, during the operation of snapping it into the groove 14 in the final position shown in Figure 5. This rounded edge will also prevent cutting of the cover 11 by the bead 13 as the serrated edge 18 of the liner is moved beneath the bead. The upper edges of the serrations are also rounded in the direction of their movement, as indicated at 20, to facilitate this action. The serrated edge 18 will grip the inturned edge of the cover 11 and eifectively retain it in the groove 14. Since the upper part of the cover 11 is concealed between and gripped between the body 10 and the liner 12, it will not be necessary to finish the upper edge thereof such as by hemming, etc. To disassemble the bag, it is merely necessary to pull the serrated upper edge 18 of the liner 12 out of the retaining groove 14, this being easily done since the upper end of the liner is flexible. Then the cover 11 can be slipped easily from the body 10.

Handles 21 may be attached to the liner 12 as shown in Figures 1 and 3, or may be attached to the cover 11. If attached to the liner, as shown, they can be used to pull the upper serrated edge 18 of the liner from the groove 14 when disassembling the bag.

With this arrangement, the cover will be tightly and neatly held in position. However, the cover can be removed easily when desired to permit cleaning or laundering, or to permit the substitution of another cover. Furthermore, since the liner is preferably of plastic, its interior can be sponged out readily.

Various other advantages will be apparent.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A ladies handbag comprising a hollow body having an inner bead on its upper edge with a downwardly opening retaining groove formed therein, a complemental cover on said body and of greater vertical extent with its upper edge extending inwardly around the head of the body and to a position below the bead, and a complemental liner resting on the bottom of said body and ex- Patented Jan. 29, 1957:

tendingnpwardlyinfb said groove to retain the extending References Cited in the file of this patent portion of the coverthe-rein: V i A 2. A ladies handbag according to claim 1 in which the UNITE STA S 1 1 lower edge of the bead is rounded and the upper edge of 1,895,904 Lutts et 3 1 933 fi fl 'ifila 5 2,118,402 Goldberg May 24, 1938 3". A ladie fiandbag aecbrding 'tdclaim 2 in which' the" 2,1311% Lobel P 27, 1938 liner has vertical slit's" in the u per portion thereof t0 2,425,540 1 1947 aits flexibility; 2,471,963 Kaplan May 31, 1949 2,5 27,3 39 Tamoschif 10 2,694,427 Havis .12.; 

